Friday, February 29, 2008

I like your "blog" very much . What a wonderful idea!! Without being able to analyze as you indicated you have done, I would say that the first phase that came to mind in looking at the beautiful picture of St. Joan of Arc was "Glorious and Victorious". It was very good that you were able to pay tribute to Mrs. Fragelli and Mrs. Drake. They are truly two of the finest ladies in the world.

Also, this year a total of 19 Catholic colleges scheduled the immoral play -- a significant drop since it first started with performances on 32 Catholic campuses.

In another recent news report, Alexia Kosmider, a supporter of the vulgar V-Monologues at Providence College, confessed: “I personally feel like in some ways we lost the battle.”

At Saint Louis University, feminist activists are up in arms because the play was banned. A blog called Feministe, describes their angst as they scrambled to find an off-campus site. The feminist club at Saint Louis University, the blog says, “was told by the SLU administration that we would no longer be allowed to perform The V***** Monologues on campus–ever. On top of this, we are not allowed to advertise on campus at all, or even set up tables to sell tickets.”

As you can tell, peaceful protests are effective. Thank you for joining TFP Student Action and America Needs Fatima in defending moral values. Together, we are making a difference.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

See what Saint Teresa of Avila has to say about devotion to Saint Joseph:

“Would that I could persuade all men to be devoted to this glorious Saint, for I know by long experience what blessings he can obtain for us from God. I have never known anyone who was truly devoted to him and honored him by particular services who did not advance greatly in virtue: for he helps in a special way those souls who commend themselves to him. It is now very many years since I began asking him for something on his feast, and I have always received it. If the petition was in any way amiss, he rectified it for my greater good . . . I ask for the love of God that he who does not believe me will make the trial for himself—then he will find out by experience the great good that results from commending oneself to this glorious Patriarch and in being devoted to him . . .”

In a few days, I'll post a nine day novena that you can say to this great saint, to end on his feast day, March 19.

My colleague, Michael Whitcraft, wrote a review of Frank Rega's new book:

Saint Francis of Assisi and the Conversion of the Muslims.

When one thinks of Saint Francis of Assisi, often what comes to mind are images of a soft and weak man immersed in a pacified landscape, full of birds and bunny rabbits who are awestruck at every word that falls from his lips. However, reality frontally challenges this limp-wristed portrayal.

This is evident from Frank Rega’s controversial new book, Saint Francis of Assisi and the Conversion of the Muslims. The author successfully dispels many of the myths spread about the saint’s persona. He states: “To reduce this saint to a glorified social worker, a nature lover, or ‘the first hippie’ is a great disservice to his true heritage.”

On the contrary, Mr. Rega paints the true picture of Saint Francis: a saint of prayer, courage and action, who, contrary to the claims of many modern biographers, actually supported the Crusades.

The second section of Saint Francis of Assisi and the Conversion of the Muslims proves this contention. This part stands alone, for those who are only interested in reading about the saint’s correspondence with the Muslims. However, it is sandwiched between two other sections, which recount the saint’s life before and after his missionary journey to the Middle East. Together, these three sections make up an informative and highly readable biography of the Seraphic Father.

The book’s main thrust and most interesting section deals with Saint Francis’ true position in face of the Muslims. He felt a tremendous desire for their salvation and even risked torture and death to bring them the Gospel. However, he explicitly denounced Islam as a false religion that leads to damnation.

Thus, addressing himself to the Sultan, Saint Francis said: “If you do not wish to believe, we will commend your soul to God, because we declare that if you die while holding to your law, you will be lost; God will not accept your soul.”

This contrasts with the false idea of ecumenism commonly promoted today. The author explains: “Saint Francis’ dialogue with the Sultan was a dialogue of conversion to Jesus Christ, not a dialogue of finding common ground in order for the two religions to coexist peacefully.”

Mr. Rega also refutes the misconception that Saint Francis was opposed to the Crusaders taking military action to regain the holy land. While the saint wanted the Muslim’s conversion above all, he felt that war was justified if they did not accept Christ and adamantly held to the regions they had stolen from Christian hands.

Thus, when the Sultan argued that the Crusaders were not following the Gospels which taught that one should turn the other cheek when offended, he quickly rejoined quoting Our Lord’s words taken from the same discourse: “if thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee.”

Saint Francis explained:

Here He wanted to teach us that every man, however dear and close he is to us, and even if he is as precious to us as the apple of our own eye, must be repulsed, pulled out, expelled if he seeks to turn us aside from the faith and love of our God. That is why it is just that Christians invade the land you inhabit, for you blaspheme the name of Christ and alienate everyone you can from His worship.

Mr. Rega’s work is filled with evidence to support his own Crusade against those revisionists who would like to paint a less virile Saint Francis. He decries those for whom Saint Francis: “was not a bold Christian evangelist, but a timid man, whose goal was to have the friars live passively among the Saracens and ‘to be subject to them,’ rather than convert them to the True Religion.”

This book is a must-read for those whose minds have been sullied by the effeminate portrayals of Saint Francis that have been widely circulated. It can serve to shatter this false impression and reveal the true spirit of a great saint.

To order your copy of Saint Francis of Assisi and the Conversion of the Muslims go here.

Monday, February 25, 2008

From February 8-11, TFP members and the staff of Saint Louis de Montfort Academy held a weekend event for boys within driving distance of the school, in Herndon, Pennsylvania.

The staff and organizers began holding informal events like this one, to reach out to boys in the area and allow academy students to forge new friendships. So far the weekend programs have been very successful.

The programs consist in a normal weekend at the school, reinforced with one or another extra lectures to help the boys’ intellectual and spiritual formation. This event had two such meetings, one on the power and importance of the rosary and another on the cultural errors of the Renaissance and the lasting effect these had on civilization as a whole.

However, the boys did much more than just study. The program was filled with activities and games as well. Snow prepared the field well for an exciting game of shield ball, after which the attendees were ready to warm up, indoors, with a game of charades.

Thanks to Presidents’ Day, the program was extended into Monday, which the boys spent ice-skating at a local rink. After the event ended that evening, students and locals alike were sad to say goodbye, but enthusiastic about the next Call to Chivalry weekend organizers have planned for March.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Mrs. Barbara Drake is the mother of nine. All six of her boys are full time members of the American TFP, and America Needs Fatima too. No other mother in the world can claim that honor. Two of her three daughters are married and have wonderful Catholic families.

Mrs. Sandra Fragelli is the mother of seven. She left a very comfortable life in her native Brazil to come to the US with her husband, Mr. Luiz Antonio Fragelli, director of the American TFP. Her son Antonio is also a major mover in the organization.

Please pray for these two remarkable ladies on their birthdays. They have done volumes to help the America Needs Fatima campaign.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Normally, a ruthless military dictator of a small island country would weigh little in world events. Normally, the world community would try to ostracize this ruthless leader and hasten the day when the nation could live in freedom.

However, that logic does not apply when it comes to one military dictator. That exception is Fidel Castro, an unabashed Stalinist who has maintained maintains Communist rule over Cuba for nearly fifty years.

Far from welcoming a change in his ruthless regime that may come due to Castro’s declining health, the left worldwide has united around the Castroist regime hoping for a continuation of the misery of the Cuban people.

Why are leftists who claim to be so compassionate so adamant when it comes to Cuba? Perhaps it is because Cuba is important symbol and rallying point to the communist movement worldwide. Leftists, guerrillas and even American liberals seem to gather courage from the fact that Castro and Cuba have survived.

The following article analyzes Cuba's great importance among leftists even as the leader of this despotic regime appears to be nearing his end.

Mine is the 21st Century Crusade, written by Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira in 1951.

Here is an excerpt from this inspiring essay:

"We move towards the Christian civilization that may arise from the ruins of today’s world, as the civilization of the Middle Ages was born from the ruins of the Roman world. We move towards the conquest of this ideal with the courage, the perseverance, the will to face and overcome all obstacles with which the crusaders marched towards Jerusalem.

"If our forebears were capable of dying to reconquer the Sepulcher of Christ, how could we not want — we sons of the Church as they — to struggle and die to restore something that is of infinitely more worth than the most precious Sepulcher of the Savior, that is, His reign over the souls and societies that He created and saved to love Him eternally?

Sunday, February 17, 2008

He's a great Catholic, fervent devotee of Our Lady of Fatima, and veteran member of the American TFP. Four of his sons are full time members of the America Needs Fatima campaign, wholly operated by the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP).

If you'd like to send him a birthday wish or prayer intention, please write to my email address at rertichie@juno.com.

The massive protest had everything to grab the major headlines – drama, numbers, human interest, and even an Internet hero-organizer. It was also good news with a striking and timely anti-terrorist theme.

However, this smashing success story simply did not seem to inspire much commentary or encouragement. Although the wires carried the story, the full drama of what took place or its consequences appear blunted.

The February 4 event was a worldwide protest held by nearly 5 million Colombians. And the target of this massive protest? The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC as it is so infamously known.

Nowadays, FARC could hardly be considered “armed forces” but rather the remnants of a once-formidable Marxist guerrilla organization that has terrorized this Andean nation for decades. It is the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party.

As a “military” group, the group has fallen on hard times. It holds no national territory as its own. Its “tactics” consist of a gangster/terrorist mix of bombings, murder, mortar attacks, drug-running, kidnapping, extortion, hijacking, and ambushes of conventional military forces.

He's a great Catholic, fervent devotee of Our Lady of Fatima, and veteran member of the American TFP.

For as long a I can remember, the only thing he wanted for his children was their sanctification. Nothing else mattered.

In 1973, the United States was in a terrible moral crisis. He and my mom went to Fatima to visit the shrine and to see if Portugal was a more religious place to move and raise the family. They were enthused with the shrine, but disappointed with the country that was in a moral crisis of its own.

By a wonderful coincidence of Providence, in Fatima he met the "American Families in Fatima." The Drakes and Morans, and others. The Morans then introduced him to members of the TFP.

Upon returning to the United States, my father got very involved in the TFP. He remains committed to the mission of the TFP until today, specifically helping the America Needs Fatima campaign in its efforts to spread the Fatima message and to stop blasphemy.

In our upcoming campaign, Rosary Rallies 2008, he will be heading the effort to recruit volunteers for this important mission.

I owe him a huge debt of gratitude, becuase I would not involved in the mission of the TFP and America Needs Fatima if it weren't for his example.

If you'd like to send him a birthday wish, please write to my email address at rertichie@juno.com.

At Lourdes, Divine Providence takes two different attitudes towards human suffering. The first is more sensational and thus catches our attention more. It is when Our Lady, as a compassionate mother, heals the sick and lame and thus proves the veracity of the Faith.

This, in turn, shows her mercy for wayward souls, by giving them a strong motive to convert.

The innumerable pilgrims who are not cured exemplify the other attitude, and beg the questions: “Why would Our Lady cure one and not others?” and “Isn’t this in contradiction to the first attitude?”

The answers to these questions demonstrate suffering’s raison d’être and role within the perfection of the Divine plans. Thus, we can learn much more by this second attitude than by the first.

To reach a conclusion, we first must recognize that Our Lady demonstrates her goodness at Lourdes. She shows that she can and wants to work miracles for her children. Nevertheless, the vast majority of pilgrims return uncured.

For the rest of the article by Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, please go here:

Friday, February 15, 2008

We just moved to New York from Ghana in Africa. Catholics in Ghana love to pray the Rosary and we love Our Lady and our Mother.

I belonged to the Mary Mother of Good Counsel Church. It is not a parish yet because the faithful are now building one. It started with a school and so we celebrate Mass in the school's Hall and when we have big church feasts, mass is said outside under canopies. My children attended the school. It is a very good school.

We live in Parkside Avenue and are looking for a Parish close to us to enable us attend Mass. We used to go to the At. Augustine's church in 7th Avenue which is two stops away from us.

My children saw this mail and they are excited and would like to have a Rosary from you. Is it possible to send them a Rosary each or do they have to go to the site and request for it?

In Cordoba, Spain, February 15th is the feast day of Our Lady of Good Remedy.

Here is a wonderful novena prayer to Our Lady of Good Remedy:

O Queen of Heaven and Earth, Most Holy Virgin, we venerate thee. Thou art the beloved Daughter of the Most High God, the chosen Mother of the Incarnate Word the Immaculate Spouse of the Holy Spirit, the Sacred Vessel of the Most Holy Trinity.

O Mother of the Divine Redeemer, who under the title of Our Lady of Good Remedy, comes to the aid of all who call upon thee, extend thy maternal protection to us. We depend on thee, Dear Mother, as helpless and needy children depend on a tender and caring mother.

Hail Mary...

O Lady of Good Remedy, source of unfailing help, grant that we may draw from thy treasury of graces in our time of need. Touch the hearts of sinners, that they may seek reconciliation and forgiveness. Bring comfort to the afflicted and the lonely; help the poor and the hopeless, aid the sick and the suffering. May they be healed in body and strengthened in spirit to endure their sufferings with patient resignation and Christian fortitude.

Hail Mary...

Dear Lady of Good Remedy, source of unfailing help, thy compassionate heart knows a remedy for every affliction and misery we encounter in life. Help me with thy prayers and intercession to find a remedy for my problems and needs, especially for...(here mention your special intentions).

On my part O loving Mother, I pledge my self to a more intensely Christian lifestyle, to a more careful observance of the laws of God, to be more conscientious in fulfilling the obligations of my state in life and to strive to be a source of healing in this broken world of ours. Dear Lady of Good Remedy, be ever present to me, and through thy intercession, may I enjoy health of body and peace of mind, and grow stronger in the faith and in the love of thy Son Jesus.

Hail Mary...

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of Good Remedy,R. That we may deepen our dedication to thy Son, and make the world alive with His Spirit.

To delve into the most obscure nooks and crannies of the problem, a complete solution lies in finding apostles like those described by Abbot Jean-Batiste Chautard in his famous work, The Soul of the Apostolate.

They must be endowed with real interior life, desirous above all to see the accomplishment of God’s will and designs on earth as it is in heaven.

They must be apostles who draw others with their example, move people with their word, and strive to make the laws of the state in accordance to those of God, thus changing people’s behavior.

In short, the action of these authentic apostles can really touch souls. If these correspond to grace, they will convert.

And to convert, contemporary man must be docile to the recommendation of Our Lady to mankind at Fatima in 1917: they must pray and do penance.

For the complete article When Society is Corrupt, Is There a Solution? By Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira.

Very dedicated members of the America Needs Fatima campaign from California, Mr. and Mrs. Calder, need your prayers.

Mr. Calder and his wife were recently in Kansas, where he gave a lecture series on music, and how it is used for good or evil. The lectures were very well received, with 200 people at the one in Kansas City.

However, on the return trip to California, Mr. and Mrs. Calder got in a minor car accident and are still recovering. He had a broken wrist and head pains, and she broke toes and had head pains too.

Mr. Calder is a founding member of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP).

I personally think the devil had something to do with the car accident, since the Calders did much good work in Kansas.

Please keep them in your prayers.

If you woud like to see Mr. Calder in action, leading an anti-blasphemy rally, please visit here:

"A leading retailer in Singapore has withdrawn a cosmetics range with a Jesus theme after complaints from local Roman Catholics, local media report. The range, named Lookin' Good for Jesus, was on sale at three Topshop outlets in the Asian city state. Catholics complained the cosmetics' marketing was disrespectful, full of sexual innuendo and trivialised Christianity.

"About 15% of Singapore's 4.4 million population is Christian.

"A spokesman for the Wing Tai company, which runs Topshop's outlets in Singapore, told the newspaper it did not want to offend its customers, and withdrew the products last month."

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The following text is an excerpt from a lecture given by Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira on December 30, 1988. It has been translated and edited without the author’s revision. –Ed.

Life is a continuous struggle that ranges from moments of sadness to times of joy. Divine Providence has provided men with a sensible sign of this.

Think of the sunrise. The sun is born at dawn and becomes increasingly splendorous throughout the day. If a man did not know otherwise, he could witness this great battle, in which the sun utterly defeats the darkness, and suppose that daytime would last forever. He could even think that the light would never end.

"If a man did not know otherwise, he could witness this great battle, in which the sun utterly defeats the darkness, and suppose that daytime would last forever."

However, shortly after noon, he would notice that at the zenith of the sun’s victory, its light is slightly dimmed. Struck with doubt, he might even ask himself: “Can this be? Could a light as bright as the sun really be darkening? It must be an illusion, for such a marvelous sun could never set.”

In a little while, he perceives that the sun’s brightness has decreased yet more. Nevertheless, he reassures himself: “Well, this is not important. For such a bright sun, losing a few degrees of brightness is inconsequential.”

Later, he again notices the sun’s light diminishing. He optimistically says: “This is not important. Ultimately, the sun is even better since it has dimmed a bit. My eyes are tired and perhaps its softening will help me rest. Surely, this is God’s Wisdom. He will decrease the sun’s brightness to help me sleep. In fact, I am already beginning to feel a bit tired.”

As the night approaches, he walks in some nearby woods and begins to feel nervous. He sees something there that he had not noticed in the field. Since, the sun’s light penetrates less into the forest, night already makes its presence felt.

He looks around and asks himself: “Is this natural? Even though the forest is dark at noontime, I do not think it is normal for the sun to be obscured completely. This cannot be right. I saw the sun in all its glory and beauty and I refuse to believe it is setting.” He continues to be optimistic.

Somehow the gold that lit the highest skies is now obscured.

The Night Arrives: “Quomodo Obscuratum est Aurum?”Feeling tired, he sits at the foot of a tree and falls asleep. When he awakes, everything has changed. Night has come. The animals that were awake, are now asleep; other animals absent during the day are active. They howl and hoot. They fly around in strange ways. Everything seems sinister and he is convinced that the sun has been utterly defeated. He supposes that from now on there will only be darkness.

Back in the field, he looks at the sky. Seeing beautiful stars, he thinks: “These stars are merely pieces of the sun which has been utterly defeated, shattered and spread throughout the sky. Soon, they too will be extinguished and my situation will be hopeless. I do not know how I will survive in this confused place full of unknown beasts. Even the birds, which used to enchant me, now fill me with fear.”

Then he looks up at an owl, which hoots: “hoo…hooo…hooooo!” He says: “What is this? What has happened? How did all that splendor disappear? ‘Quomodo obscuratum est aurum?’ (How was the gold become dim?) The gold that lit the highest skies is now obscured and it is night.”

When night comes, the world is filled with unknown animals that hoot and howl.

The Sunrise is Born amid the DarknessLater he, who misinterpreted the first signs of night, looks to the sky and perceives a faint hint of light. He rubs his eyes and looks again. He thinks: “No, it cannot be. I am depressed and give up. I do not have the courage even to hope. I am going to put my head in my hands and cry. I will try to sleep for as long as this darkness exists. If death comes to me amid this darkness, blessed be death! I will sink into death’s darkness saying: ‘At least now, I no longer have to see this darkness that has consumed everything.’”

He lies down, but cannot sleep. About an hour, he gets up and looks at the sky. Seeing more light, he says: “Now it is undeniable, there is some light here.” Nevertheless, he repeats the false reasoning that he made when the sun was setting: “What can this little bit of light do against such a lasting darkness? Oh light, you are trying to give me false hope. You lie. I refuse to celebrate your appearance, because you are a mere illusion.”

Later, as the light continues to increase, he thinks: “Could that which happened before now happen once more? Could the light reconquer the darkness, just as the darkness conquered it? Might I see the sun at full zenith once again?” Feeling somewhat depressed over the whole matter, he concludes: “If so, I cannot stand this situation. I cannot bear a life of fight in which the struggles between light and darkness are so intense. This would make life tense, heavy and difficult. I cannot bear it. I do not even want to know about this.”

He falls asleep again. Soon, amid his dreams, he hears the song of a familiar bird. He opens his eyes and everything is illuminated. He gets up joyfully and thinks: “Now, the time has come for the sun’s revenge. It will not allow itself to be swallowed up ever again. The days of perpetual light have returned.”

When the next night comes, he says: “This cannot be happening. The night is really in charge here, the day is powerless, night is perpetual...”

False reasoning like this, often can bring one to the point of madness.

God Made Night and Day for ManWhat is this man’s error? First, he does not understand that God does everything according to His Providence. Even those things which appear most absurd and senseless, fit into a general Divine plan. God wills that there be sun and also darkness, and that darkness and light follow each other for the good of man.

God made night to help man rest and day to make him happy and allow him to work. Night evokes thoughts of death and reminds man that his own death will come. It shows the instability of days in the sun and demonstrates that only one thing remains constant: He, Who hovers above day and night, God in His Eternity.

Night and day should teach man that he should only confide in God, and properly understood, in His Holy Mother, the Mediatrix of all graces.

The Fight Gives Meaning to LifeThe man of our story does not understand that, with day and night, God created the conditions for him to live on earth. A world with either perpetual light or constant darkness would be unlivable, as would a life of constant joy – sought by so many in our days – or constant sadness – often preferred to hoping, praying and fighting. Both extremes run contrary to man’s nature.

With this rotation of day and night, God demonstrates that everything is ephemeral. Since everything can either pass or lead to unexpectedly good results, man must fight.

This fight provides meaning to life. First, man must fight against himself. He must conquer his defects that constantly try to rise up and drag him to ruin. He must also fight external enemies. He must resist the action of the devil and his agents who want to drag man into sin. Man must fight against sickness and poverty. He must fight to acquire his needs. Everything in life is a fight, in every sense of the word.

He who confides much and prays to Our Lady, will witness the sunrise of her victory.

God Gives the Grace to Conquer in the FightWithout the fight, life becomes unbearable. It is the normal state of things.

God gives us the means to change things around amid these seemingly invariable conditions. He only asks that we agree to fight.

Ultimately, our victory in the fight depends upon God’s grace, which gives us the agility to identify and crush evil when it first appears in its embryonic form. If we correspond to this grace, we will have brilliant victories and good will reign in us and society.

He Who Confides in Our Lady Will See the Sunrise of Her Victory This story should also teach us that when evil appears most powerful and its victory most certain, he who confides much and prays to Our Lady, will witness the sunrise of her victory.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Every year, members of the "America Needs Fatima" campaign wholly operated by the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP), go on pilgrimage to the site of the 1917 apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima, Portugal, to deliver tens of thousands of petition cards collected through the TFP’s America Needs Fatima Home Visitation Program.

America Needs Fatima began taking its supporters’ petitions to Fatima shortly after they began their Home Visitation Program (to read about the America Needs Fatima Home Visitation Program, click here). Since then they have hand-delivered nearly 300,000 petition cards from people across the nation.

“By taking our supporters’ petitions to the place where Our Lady appeared in Fatima, we give them the opportunity to present their problems and aspirations to the Blessed Mother in a way that many of them would never have a chance to do,” said Home Visitation Program member Byron Whitcraft. “It is an excellent service that we are happy to provide.”

In this way, America Needs Fatima hopes to strengthen the link Catholic Americans have with the Virgin of Fatima, who is the Mother of God and their own mother.

Act of Consecration to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, through the Blessed Virgin Mary

by Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort

O ETERNAL and Incarnate Wisdom! O sweetest and most adorable Jesus! True God and true Man, only Son of the Eternal Father and of Mary ever virgin! I adore Thee profoundly in the bosom and splendors of Thy Father during eternity, and I adore Thee also in the virginal bosom of Mary, Thy most worthy Mother, in the time of Thine Incarnation.

I give Thee thanks for that Thou hast annihilated Thyself, taking the form of a slave, in order to rescue me from the cruel slavery of the devil. I praise and glorify Thee because Thou hast been pleased to submit Thyself to Mary, Thy holy Mother, in all things, in order to make me Thy faithful slave through her. But, alas! Ungrateful and faithless as I have been, I have not kept the promises which I made so solemnly to Thee in my Baptism; I have not fulfilled my obligations; I do not deserve to be called Thy child, nor yet Thy slave; and as there is nothing in me which does not merit Thine anger and Thy repulse, I dare not come by myself before Thy most holy and august Majesty. It is on this account that I have recourse to the intercession of Thy most holy Mother, whom Thou hast given me for a mediatrix with Thee. It is through her that I hope to obtain of Thee contrition, the pardon of my sins, and the acquisition and preservation of wisdom.

Hail, then, O Immaculate Mary, living tabernacle of the Divinity, where the Eternal Wisdom willed to be hidden and to be adored by Angels and by men! Hail, O Queen of Heaven and earth, to whose empire everything is subject which is under God. Hail, O sure refuge of sinners, whose mercy fails no one. Hear the desires which I have of the Divine Wisdom; and for that end receive the vows and offerings which in my lowliness I present to thee.

I, (name), a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy hands the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before.

In the presence of all the Heavenly Court, I choose thee this day for my Mother and mistress. I deliver and consecrate to thee, as thy slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions-----past, present and future-----leaving to thee the entire and full right of disposing of me and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the greater glory of God, in time and in eternity.

Receive, O benignant Virgin, this little offering of my slavery, in honor of and in union with that subjection which the Eternal Wisdom deigned to have to thy maternity, in homage to the power which both of you have over this little worm and miserable sinner and in thanksgiving for the privileges with which the Holy Trinity has favored thee. I declare that I wish henceforth, as thy true slave, to seek thy honor and to obey thee in all things.

O admirable Mother, present me to thy dear Son as His eternal slave, so that as He has redeemed me by thee, by thee He may receive me! O Mother of Mercy, grant me the grace to obtain the true Wisdom of God, arid for that end receive me among those whom thou dost love and teach, whom thou dost lead, nourish and protect as thy children and thy slaves.

O faithful Virgin, make me in all things so perfect a disciple, imitator and slave of the Incarnate Wisdom, Jesus Christ thy Son, that I may attain, by thine intercession and by thine example, to the fullness of His age on earth and of His glory in Heaven. Amen.

Just as in our daily lives we should always be cognizant of the presence of God, so in our analysis of historical events we should always keep in mind the power and intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary over the sweep of history.

My friend, Jeremias Wells, has written an excellent piece about the intervention of Our Blessed Mother in history.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

TFP Student Action is protesting the V-Monologues play, which is scheduled to perform on 19 Catholic college campuses in the next few weeks.
According to eye-witness and press reports, the play is objectionable because of its “lewd and graphic descriptions of sexual encounters, lust, and lesbian behavior.”
“The play tramples purity, modesty and degrades women. It openly flaunts sins against nature, and thus subverts the order established by God,” said TFP Student Action director John Ritchie. “This scandalous play offends every good Catholic and has absolutely no place on Catholic campuses. Students, alumni, and parents should call for the play’s immediate cancellation.”

TFP is asking Catholics to sign an online petition. Sign by going here: TFP Student Action!
When visitors sign the petition, simultaneous letters are instantly e-mailed to every Catholic university president where the play is planned.
Together with the Cardinal Newman Society, TFP Student Action has protested “The V-Monologues” in the past.
As a result, several Catholic institutions have canceled showings of the play including the College of Saint Scholastica, Assumption College and Carlow University.
“I can’t understand why any Catholic institution of higher learning would stoop so low as to allow this play on campus. It explicitly condones sin, promotes the abortion mentality and fuels sexual anarchy,” continued Mr. Ritchie. “This immoral play is the antithesis of Catholic morality. What the world needs today is purity, modesty and respect. So we invite all concerned Catholics to protest, to call the universities and urge them to end the scandal.”
For the full story, please go to http://www.catholic.org/prwire/headline.php?ID=4515

Behold the suffering of Holy Mother Church mocked and jeered before our jaded eyes. She stands before us as Our Lord once stood before Veronica. Let us console the Church by defending Her whatever the cost. In doing so, we will be consoling Christ as Veronica did.

Our Lord revealed to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque "His wish for her to order a picture of the image of that Sacred Heart for people specifically to venerate and have in their homes and also small pictures to carry with them." She wrote this to her Superior, Mother Saumaise, on March 2, 1686.

Thus was born the devotion of wearing the little Badges. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque always kept a badge with her and inspired her novices to do the same. She made many badges and often said this practice was very pleasing to the Sacred Heart. In the beginning, only nuns of the Visitation were allowed to wear the Badge.

It was later spread by Venerable Ana Magdalena Rémuzat, a religious of the Visitation who died in the odor of sanctity (1696-1730). Our Lord told this nun that a serious epidemic would afflict the French city of Marseilles in 1720, and that its inhabitants would receive a marvelous help through this devotion to His Sacred Heart. Mother Rémuzat, helped by her sister in the convent, made thousands to Sacred Heart Badges and distributed them throughout the city where the plague was rampant.

Soon afterward, the epidemic stopped as if by a miracle. Many Badge wearers were not infected and even people who got sick experienced extraordinary help through the Badge. Analogous events happened elsewhere. From then on, use of the badge spread to other cities and countries. The news of the graces obtained through the Badges reached the Court. Maria Lesczynska, wife of King Louis XV became devoted to the Badge. In 1748 she received several Badges from Pope Benedict XIV as a wedding gift. Among the various presents sent by the Pontiff were "many Badges of the Sacred Heart made of red taffeta and embroidered in gold," the records say.

Special emblem of counter-revolutionaries

The unfortunate French Revolution erupted in France in 1789, a worse punishment than any plague, causing tragic consequences for the whole world. True Catholics found protection in the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus during that period. Many priests, nobles, and commoners who resisted the bloody anti-Catholic revolution wore the Badge. Even ladies of the Court, like the Princess of Lamballe, wore the Badge embroidered with precious materials over fabric. The simple fact of wearing it became a distinctive sign of those who opposed the French Revolution.

Among the belongings of Queen Marie Antoinette, guillotined out of revolutionary hatred, was found a drawing of the Sacred Heart, with the wound, the cross, and crown of thorns, and the inscription: "Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!"

Heroic deeds by devotees of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Chouans, heroic Catholics from Mayenne (western France), who resisted the impious French revolutionaries of 1789, and confronted them with energy and religious ardor, embroidered the Badge of the Sacred Heart on their clothes and banners. They shaped it as a coat of arms to reaffirm their Catholic faith and wore it as a symbolic armor for defense against enemy attacks. Many other Catholic leaders and heroes also wore the Badge as a "spiritual armor."

They fought and died in defense of Holy Mother Church, like the brave peasants who fought under Andreas Hofer (1767-1810), known as the "Chouans from Tyrol." These men wore the Badge as protection in the battles against Napoleon's army that invaded the Tyrol.

The Cristeros in Mexico, in the first half of the 20th century, also wore the Badge. They took up arms against anti-Christian governments that oppressed the Church. In Spain, the famous Carlista regiments called "requetés," likewise wore the Badge: they were famous for their religious piety and boldness on the battlefield, and their intervention was decisive for the triumph of the anti-Communist Catholics in the Civil War of 1936-1939.

More recently, similar events took place in Cuba. The Catholic Cubans, who fought the Communist regime, had a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. When they were imprisoned and taken to the "parédon" (shooting wall) for summary execution, they faced Fidel Castro's executioners with the cry, "Viva Cristo Rey," Long Live Christ the King!

After Castro's communist tyranny took over Cuba, beautiful statues of the Sacred Heart were demolished and replaced with replaced with representations of Che Guevara. Thus, statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which represented Divine mercy and forgiveness, were replaced with likenesses of a guerrilla fighter who soaked his hands with innocent blood, which he caused to flow in several Latin American countries!

Blessed Pius IX and the Badge

In 1870 a Roman lady, wishing to know the opinion of the Holy Father Pius IX about the Badge of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, presented him with one. Touched by the sight of this emblem of salvation, the Pope approved the devotion forever and said: "This, Madam, this is an inspiration from Heaven. Yes, from Heaven." After a short moment of silence, he added: "I am going to bless this Heart and want all badges made after this model to receive the same blessing, so that in the future, it will not be necessary for the blessing to be renewed by a priest. And I want Satan to be unable to cause any harm to those who wear this Badge, symbol of the adorable Heart of Jesus."

Wishing to foster the pious habit of wearing the Badge, in 1872, Blessed Pope Pius IX granted one hundred years indulgence who wear this emblem and pray daily one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.

Afterward, the Holy Father composed this beautiful prayer:

"Open Thy Sacred Heart, O Jesus! Show me its beauty and unite me with It forever. May the throbbing and all the movements of my heart, even during sleep, be a testimony of my love and tell Thee unceasingly: Yes, Lord Jesus, I adore Thee... accept my poor good actions... grant me the grace of repairing evil done... so that I may praise Thee in time and bless Thee for all eternity."

"To hear these mighty men of works talking about their exploits, one might imagine that God Almighty, to Whom it is child's play to create worlds, and before Whom the universe is dust and nothingness, cannot get along without their cooperation."

You may have experienced some difficulty in getting friends to realize the immense spiritual power there is in reciting the Holy Rosary.

I know that I have.

We live in a materialistic society where too many people judge things by what is visible and concrete. The spiritual seems so far away to us who live in a world where we use email, the Internet, drive cars and fly in airplanes.

But the invisible spiritual world is reality. And so are the promises of Our Lady to those who spread devotion to the Holy Rosary.

She told Saint Dominic that:

"All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities."

So, if you still have not ordered your free Fatima Rosary, please do so now.

Over the weekend, a friend asked if it were not better for members of America Needs Fatima (TFP) to get married instead of remaining single, fully dedicated to the mission.

Then, this quote from the encyclical of Pope Pius XII called "Sacra Virginitas" came to my attention. I think it answers the question quite well:

"And while this perfect chastity is the subject of one of the three vows which constitute the religious state,

[9] and is also required by the Latin Church of clerics in major orders

[10] and demanded from members of Secular Institutes,

[11] it also flourishes among many who are lay people in the full sense: men and women who are not constituted in a public state of perfection and yet by private promise or vow completely abstain from marriage and sexual pleasures, in order to serve their neighbor more freely and to be united with God more easily and more closely.

7. To all of these beloved sons and daughters who in any way have consecrated their bodies and souls to God, We address Ourselves, and exhort them earnestly to strengthen their holy resolution and be faithful to it. (my emphasis)

When it comes time to offer a sacrifice during Lent, most Catholics give up coffee, chocolate, or something they like to eat.

While such sacrifices are good and helpful for the will to control the senses, they are not the only sacrifices you can offer up for Lent.

For example, have you thought about offering a sacrifice that contradicts your main defect?

Let's say that someone has the habit of human respect and fails to defend the faith and good moral customs in public when they are attacked. Then, an excellent sacrifice would be to call the manager next time they are at the supermarket and complain about the immoral magazines in the checkout aisle. (I call these magazines the "devil's wallpaper.")

But if the America Needs Fatima group does this in force, all over the country, I bet some supermarkets would remove or cover the immoral magazines, and God and Our Lady would be pleased with our Lenten offerings.

Moreover, many souls would not sin by looking at such moral filth and many young people would not consider the posting and selling of such magazines as normal.

May Our Lady of Sorrows grant us the moral fortitude to offer the sacrifces this Lent that will sanctify our souls and oppose the moral corruption in society that threatens to bring God's punishment upon the world, as Our Lady warned at Fatima.

Finally, you can still get your free Way of the Cross book or CD by calling the America Needs Fatima phone number at 1-888-317-5571.

Friday, February 1, 2008

In spite of the pain he still suffers from his injuries, he is upbeat and jovial.

Why is he injured?

Well, on the brisk morning of December 22, 2007, Mr. Snell, 69, arrived at Hillcrest Abortion clinic in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to start the day as he is accustomed to starting most Saturdays of the year: by counseling women entering the building not to kill their pre-born children.

Mr. Snell and his fellow pro-lifers have been effective – so effective, that Hillcrest erected a 7-foot fence to prevent their contact with the clinic’s “patients.” Undeterred, the pro-lifers started bringing ladders that would elevate them above the fence and allow them to continue their life-saving work.

Rather than spend long hours on the rung of a ladder, Mr. Snell fastened a sheet of plywood to the roof of his car. From this makeshift platform, he had a good vantage point and soapbox to spread his message.

This particular morning, a couple parked opposite Mr. Snell, on the clinic’s side of the fence. When the 69-year-old pro-lifer warned the woman about the proven link between abortion and breast cancer, her boyfriend, Nathan Richardson, became enraged, scaled the fence and shoved Mr. Snell to the asphalt 5 feet below, where he suffered two broken ribs, a broken shoulder, two fractured vertebrae and bleeding inside the skull.

Mr. Snell was rushed to the hospital, the police threatened the other pro-lifers with arrest and Nathan Richardson was let free.

You can send Mr. Snell an email of encouragement to my email address at reritchie@gmail.com and I'll forward it to him.

One day in the year 1582, a young nun prayed before the Blessed Sacrament in the choir of her convent in Quito. Suddenly, she heard a terrifying rumble and saw the church enveloped in a thick, smoke-filled darkness. The main altar alone remained illuminated, as if in broad daylight. There, the tabernacle door swung open and our crucified Lord came forth, nailed to a life-size cross. The Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist, and Saint Mary Magdalen stood by, as on Calvary. Our Lord was agonizing.

The young nun heard a voice: “This punishment is for the twentieth century.” Then she saw three swords hanging over Our Lord’s head, each with an inscription. On the first was written, “I shall punish heresy”; on the second, “I shall punish blasphemy”; and on the third, “I shall punish impurity.”

Then the Blessed Virgin addressed the young nun: “My daughter, do you wish to sacrifice yourself for these people?”

“I am ready,” responded the nun. At that, the three swords plunged into the nun’s heart, and she fell dead by the violence of the pain.

Is this a fairy-tale? An incredible allegory? The fantastic figment of someone’s fertile imagination? No, these are facts.

God occasionally visits the earth with the “magic touch” of His omnipotence. By Divine discretion He makes an exception to the earthly standards of everyday and introduces the extraordinary. We learn of His interventions and miracles as if the veil of Faith is lifted a little, and we get a glimpse of Heaven, helping us feel closer to our celestial home.

Many claim to have received this magic touch, yet just a few bear the august mark of authenticity, which is usually a purifying process of the favored soul through acute suffering.

For the complete story on Sister Mariana and Our Lady of Good Success, GO HERE.

Despite rainy weather conditions, hundreds of outraged Catholics gathered in front of Carnegie Hall in Manhattan to pray and express their rejection over the blasphemous Jerry Springer: The Opera in Comedy. The peaceful protest was a response to the indecent show which attacks the honor and purity of Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Members of the America Needs Fatima campaign, wholly operated by The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP), held a two-hour rally from 6-8 PM on Tuesday, January 29. Litanies, rosaries and hymns reverberated off city skyscrapers announcing the act of public reparation.

According to press reports about the show, the Crucifixion is mocked and the Eucharist is trashed. A Jesus figure is introduced as “the hypocrite son of the fascist tyrant on high” who wears a diaper, is fat and effeminate, and admits being “a bit gay.” Eve touches Jesus indecently (too immoral to describe) and they say Our Blessed Mother was “raped by an angel.”

“In light of this indecent attack on Our Lord and Our Lady, you’d think tens of thousands of Catholics would be out here with us, offering reparation,” said rally coordinator Robert Ritchie.

The act of reparation was noticed by The New York Times, Variety, and Chortle (U.K.). The Star Ledger reported that:

“An estimated 200 protesters, many from the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property in Pennsylvania, gathered outside the hall on opening night with candles, banners and placards reading ‘Stop Blaspheming Our Lord Now.’”

Many who could not attend the rally joined the protest by other means, calling Carnegie Hall to express their disgust with the play. Thousands of others wrote protest letters or sent e-mail complaints.

Many who could not attend the rally in person offered prayers and encouragement:

-- “Let us storm heaven with prayers. God is more powerful than Satan,” said one.

-- “I will be praying the Rosary today from my home at the same time as your gathering. What you are doing is so important!!!” said another.

-- And “When are we going to wake up, and put God back where He belongs.”

“I am appalled at the insensitivity of Carnegie Hall in face of the countless Catholics who are offended by these insults to Jesus and Mary," said rally participant Kenneth Murphy.

-- "This rally is living proof that Our Lord and Our Lady have disciples willing to honor and defend Them.”

Indeed, public outcry is growing. The America Needs Fatima campaign is inviting its 120,000 members to continue sending postcards and e-mail protests to the chairman of Carnegie Hall’s board of directors, Mr. Sanford Weill, asking him to stop public displays of blasphemy and lewdness.

Finally, to close the act of reparation, each rally participant knelt on the cold sidewalk, holding a lighted candle as the Consecration to the Blessed Mother by Saint Louis de Montfort was recited. Flickering in the darkness, each candle burned with zeal for Our Lord and Our Lady, and each candle-bearer was glad to have defended their beloved Catholic faith.